BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Monday the Arab world should invest in democracy rather than in weapons that are not used to protect Arab states against Israel.

“I call upon the entire Arab world to make use of ongoing events taking place in more than one Arab country, and to invest in democracy instead of investing in weapons that are not used on the borders of our countries but … [in our societies],” Berri said during the opening session of the 17th Arab Inter Parliamentary Union conference in Doha, Qatar.

A few days after protests toppled Tunisia’s president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, in January, people took to the streets in Egypt seeking the ouster of the country’s president, Hosni Mubarak.

Berri said many Arab states had carried out preparations in the past few days and weeks to confront demands by their societies for democracy and “we have seen less preparations … against Israel.”

Regarding Lebanon, Berri said the country had triumphed over strife and resorted to the constitutional process to organize its affairs and contain tension.

“We hope the Lebanese continue to resort to dialogue and consensus between all sides until we enter the stage of the state that cements its [Lebanon’s] civil peace and stresses its stability.”

Berri urged the conference to stress “its support to stability in Lebanon, its unity, civil peace and the formula of coexistence among its people.”

“I also call upon the conference to support the Cabinet in Lebanon in performing its duties … and rid [Lebanon] of its political and economic crisis,” Berri added.

The speaker thanked Qatar for contributing to reconstruction efforts in Lebanon after Israel’s 2006 war against the country along with Qatari initiatives to enhance stability in Lebanon.

Berri said Israel was betting on time to continue settlement building in occupied East Jerusalem in a bid to legalize the proclamation of the entirety of Jerusalem as an eternal capital for Israel, as Arabs were busy dealing with ethnic and sectarian strife in their countries.

The speaker urged the conference to issue a decision that considers the Israeli occupation and its measures as “rejected and invalid” and another decision that recognizes the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital and that stresses the right of return and right to self determination for the Palestinian people.

Berri called upon the Palestinian factions to achieve national reconciliation, which he said was essential in resisting Israel. “Do not hope that Arabs will unite you, because Arabs are in need of unity.”

Berri said it was time for the conference to issue laws to which Arab governments would be obliged to adhere.

“At the top should be laws related to the enhancement of human rights and the protection of freedom of opinion and belief,” Berri said.

He noted that the Lebanese Parliament was about to finalize the national plan for human rights.

Berri saluted Arab efforts to uncover the people involved in the attacks against churches in Iraq and Egypt, saying such crimes “carry the same terrorist prints and require attention and coordination.”